The Easton Police Department’s new electric vehicle police cruiser is currently being outfitted with the necessary accessories and equipment.
The Chevrolet Blazer, built specifically for the department, is expected to be operational within the Easton Police Department in the next six to eight weeks.
“The Chevy Blazer has incredible handling, incredible performance, and surpasses all the expectations on crash testing,” said Police Chief Foti Koskinas. “It meets and exceeds the expectations.”
On Aug. 7, Easton’s Board of Selectmen approved the direct purchase of the town’s first electric police vehicle. The decision followed the efforts and recommendations of Koskinas, who has extensive prior experience in Westport, where electric vehicles make up about 20% of the current fleet. The initiative was also supported by the Easton Energy and Environment Task Force, which has been advancing the town’s sustainability efforts.
“Over the last many years, our task force has long been interested in seeing an electric vehicle being integrated into our police force,” said Cathy Alfandre, chair of the Easton Energy and Environment Task Force. “When Chief Koskinas arrived, he was very interested to bring his positive experience in Westport to Easton, where we were very excited to support that.”
With the federal Clean Vehicle Credit for new and used electric vehicles set to expire on Sept. 30, the timing of the purchase was significant. The initial cost of the Chevy Blazer was about $58,000, but with the federal rebate of $7,500, in addition to a manufacturing promotion, the final cost was lower than the predicted budgeted amount, according to Koskinas.
“In a town like Easton, the cars are sitting idle on the side of the road, either doing speed enforcement or just watching an intersection, or just being outside of school,” said Koskinas. “This gives us an opportunity that we’re not just randomly burning gasoline sitting outside. It burns a very little bit of the electric power.”
Additionally, in standard vehicles, equipment such as computers and ticket machines drains the battery and cause it to wear out over time. However, in an electric vehicle, that equipment runs off the larger battery, which is rechargeable.
Electric vehicles can also be more durable than standard vehicles due to simpler mechanical systems with less moving parts, which can lead to less maintenance needs or chances of breaking down.
“Instead of lasting five years, we could possibly get seven years, if not eight, and then turn it into a secondary vehicle,” said Koskinas.
With the new cruiser soon hitting the roads, Easton is positioning itself not only to modernize its police fleet in the future, but also to demonstrate to residents that public safety and sustainability can go hand in hand.
“We really see an electric vehicle in the police force as kind of a win-win opportunity for the town,” Alfandre said. “It’s something very concrete that the town can do to lower emissions, and at the same time, doing so will actually lower costs.”
From FCN partner Easton Courier.
